Pilot project

Background of the project

Professional education in the nursing and health professions in Europe still shows considerable national differences. Despite the mutual acknowledgement of general nursing qualifications, their comparability within the European Union still has not been achieved. There is a lack of vertical and horizontal permeability in professional nurse education. Vocational education programmes show great differences in the implementation of a teaching and learning culture, which is targeted at the promotion of lifelong learning and independent study as well as at the use of new learning technologies (e.g. computer-assisted learning programmes). Generally, the use of new learning technologies has previously not been sufficiently considered. This is even more significant, in an area of professional education which is mainly occupied by women, whose media competence is still regarded as below average. The above-mentioned differences in professional education hinder professional mobility within the European Union. There is a lack of trans-national strategies, tools and learning materials.

Project aims

The trans-national pilot project seeks to contribute to the comparability of nurse education programmes in the European Union, while acknowledging traditions and national developments regarding the respective systems of professional education of the project partners. Also, it aims at redressing the shortage of strategies and tools.

Project aims are:

• Creation of national and international transparency regarding qualification profiles and acknowledgement of acquired skills and competencies through a credit point system
• Promotion of horizontal and vertical interchangeability of the elements of professional nurse education programmes through integration of vocational education and university education
• Promotion of fast and continuous adjustment of basic and post-basic education to the societal and professional changes of the working environment with an integration of innovation and new developments
• Introduction of the integration of the three basic education programmes in nursing: general nursing, paediatric nursing and geriatric nursing (Germany)
• Reduction of discrimination in a mainly female professional area by making the return into nursing easier after a family break

The following actions are intended to achieve the aims:

• Development and dissemination of a concept for modularisation of vocational and university education in nursing
• Development, trial, evaluation and dissemination of learning modules for vocational and university education in nursing
• Integration of learning methods and media within the modular framework which consider the different educational backgrounds of the learners and aim at learning and facilitate independent study and distance learning, including new information and communication technologies
• Development, trial and evaluation of teaching and learning materials on the basis of information and communication technologies.

Project products

Within the three years, the project aims at the production of the following products:

• A synopsis of the national educational programmes for nursing in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Poland
• A synopsis of objectives for nurse education and of trans-national qualification profiles within the area of professional nursing
• A framework for a trans-national curriculum based on a module and credit point system in such a way that allows vertical and horizontal interchangeability among the educational programmes for nursing and health care professions as well as trans-national mobility and acknowledgement
• A framework for a trans-national curriculum based on a module and credit point system in such a way that allows vertical and horizontal interchangeability among the educational programmes for nursing and health care professions as well as trans-national mobility and acknowledgement
• Development of a framework for implementation and evaluation for testing of the individual modules.

These products will be discussed and developed in co-operation with universities, users in basic education, potential users in post-basic education, potential employers (hospitals as medium size enterprises, extramural nursing services as small enterprises) and the professional associations. During the course of the project, the project team aims at intensive co-operation with providers, users and multipliers whose input will be included in the development of the framework and the materials.

In order to facilitate this as well as to disseminate partial results and products, regular events will take place. A regularly updated website will allow for fast information and communication for partners and other people interested in the project. Furthermore, exchange and transfer across the national borders should be promoted and extended though the integration of mobility projects.

Project phases

The project will proceed in four phases which will be evaluated concurrently:

• The first phase embodies the finding of a consensus regarding the objectives of nurse education, the professional qualification profile and the development of a framework for a trans-national educational programme. This will be based on the analysis of the presently existing educational programmes of the European partners.
• The second phase will be the development of six learning modules in task-defined groups including the necessary teaching/learning materials, computer based learning media and assessment tools for assessment of professional competencies.
• In the third phase, the newly developed modules will be tested in the educational practice setting.
• In the fourth phase, the tested and modified modules will be implemented in a larger group of participating institutions.

The tasks in the different phases of the project are allocated to:

• Partners from different educational settings (vocational and universities) who develop, test and implement learning modules
• Partners from different educational settings (vocational and universities) who implement learning modules
• Consultants from the field of professional practice
• Partners from the IT area
• Advisory committee, compose of representatives from professional associations and professional politics
• Evaluators.